The Secret Circle: The Killing Goon (PHOTO RECAP)

Things change. People change. I'm not the same person I was several months ago when I was racist against orcas. Back then most of my waking hours were filled with designing and distributing anti-orca pamphlets at malls and county fairs. I picketed Sea World and frequented anti-orca chatrooms, which is how I met my similarly orca-racist wife Felicia. We had several slightly beautiful children, each more racist against orcas than the last. Then one day something clicked and a thought occurred to me. Maybe orcas aren't just the slippery nightmares of the ocean? Maybe my anti-orca prejudices were simply a vestigial remnant of my own parents' old-fashioned orcaphobia? Was I just repeating the cycle of orca racism for no real reason? To test this theory I brought Felicia and the kids to Sea World to get up close and personal with these enormous, mystical aquabeasts. And do you know what happened? During the middle of a live show an orca jumped right out of the water in one glorious burst, its majestic silhouette backlit by heavenly sunlight. Then it flopped out into the stands and ate my children and Felicia in one single, terrifying chomp. Just ate them right up! Oh, it was awful. But the thing was, they'd all been kind of getting on my nerves lately so I had a hard time getting too upset over it. I wasn't even that mad at the orca! See what I'm saying? I'VE CHANGED.

The Secret Circle has changed also. Mapping the ups and downs of this baby show has been a pretty popular sport ever since this show began, but it's been pretty consistently great for the past few episodes and "Traitor" especially reminded me of how far it's come. If this were the OLD Secret Circle, Grandma Jane either wouldn't have been killed all the way or her death would've been covered up and forgotten about until Season 3. Same with Diana's biological parentage situation: The old version of this show would've just had her keep it to herself and everyone would've just carried on like it was NBD. But instead, the new and improved The Secret Circle just swaggered on onto our TVs and handled its beez. YEAH SHE'S DEAD, WHAT OF IT? So yeah, we were already experiencing a great episode and we were only 5 minutes in! And this was BEFORE the Cinemax-worthy makeout scene, the nightmare clown imagery, or the SHOCKING twist!

Ch-ch-ch-changes. "Yes we can." - Some guy

So we began at Cassie's house right in the middle of a wake for poor Grandma Jane. I THINK it was the next day? Chance Harbor citizens really know how to mobilize during a tragedy. Anyway, we got a genuinely touching opening shot of Cassie drifting through the crowd numb to the world while the theme music played all gravely. It was a nice touch. I love it when characters on teen shows deal with death in realistic ways. Like, I love how Cassie began to manically project her troubles onto Diana.

Diana didn't have a lot to say about her discovery that Blackwell was her father and that seemed to REALLY get on Cassie's nerves. I actually took this to be really poignant: Cassie really does seem to wish she had a sister. She's lonely in life!

Then Jake arrived, apparently having just heard a rumor that Jane was murdered by witch hunters.

Fortunately Faye intercepted him and calmed him down with sexy promises.

Quick question: Anyone know what's going to happen to Cassie now? She has no legal guardians! Her father is technically DEAD in the eyes of the government, so just the paperwork alone could take years to sort out. Honestly, I could seriously get into a Season 2 where Cassie has to live with a series of foster parents. Wouldn't that be so weird? Or maybe an oblivious grad student aunt could move in and mostly just open doors?

Anyway, to say Cassie was feeling pretty raw about life would be an understatement. And that included her still-broken heart.

Adam dropped by Cassie's room and she talked emotionally about how she basically has no ties left to her pre-witchcraft life. Adam did his best to cheer her up:

Yeah. His words definitely worked on Cassie better than they worked on me.

So then Blackwell swung by Cassie's room for an awkward chat.

He explained that even though Amelia was his soul-mate, one time he was naked and fell onto Diana's mom who was also naked and she got pregnant and it was definitely an accident. Then he changed the subject back to Jane's death and Cassie got super riled up again.

Back downstairs Faye and Jake combined their powers to try and steal Dawn's prescription medication, which Faye assumed were downers or whatever.

I honestly don't know what made me do this:

So yeah, as I mentioned earlier, right off the bat Diana asked Charles point-blank about her DNA situation.

He was definitely thrown by the question, and even though up until that point he didn't seem to have been aware that he'd been cuckholded, he basically confirmed that it was probably 100% possible that Blackwell snuck one in there. And yeah, same reason: He and Diana's mom had briefly broken up so she probably at one point rolled naked down a hill and into Blackwell who was having a naked picnic at the time and she ended up getting pregnant. I don't know. Charles definitely did not seem very interested in getting a DNA test. So yeah, case settled.

Diana and Charles definitely seemed to still be inseparable, but they were both pretty rattled by this turn of events. (Also Diana's scarf was cool, I kept looking at it the whole time.)

Back at the witch house, the Great Crystal Scavenger Hunt was still in full-effect! But now they could use the crystals they already had to somehow locate the remaining 2 crystals.

I loved that the map was basically blank except for a couple of lines and circles but they could still pinpoint exactly where crystals were located in town with a 10ft margin of error. I would've loved a ten minute sequence where they got out protractors and graphing calculators in order to figure out what the exact co-ordinates were. Just kidding, I wouldn't have loved that, but I would have laughed a lot.

Oh, right, the crystal in Jake's bedroom:

I couldn't believe this:

Jake bit Faye in her bathing suit area! Is that even allowed?

I liked the idea that they were actively grossed out by each other and they'd have to get high in order to enjoy themselves.

I also liked that apparently Faye thought a dozen pills would make the same rattling noise as a single chunk of quartz.

Meanwhile Melissa and Adam were tearing up the Boat House basement (I think?) looking for his grandpa's CLOAKED crystal. Which means they were searching for an invisible thing. That is still tangible. And the other magic crystals can't detect it because they have eyeballs apparently. I don't know.

This girl had ALL the answers though:

Haha I have no idea why Adam and Melissa decided to get crunked in the middle of the day, except that maybe the writers thought it would be entertaining to make Jessica Parker Kennedy act drunk for the rest of the episode? They were right, it was!

So then Diana finally broke the news to the rest of the gang that Blackwell was her father.

And Faye was visibly mad! After finding out that Blackwell was not HER father, I guess she hoped that nobody else in the circle was his child either. Seriously, have you ever seen someone wish so hard that their parents weren't their biological parents? Take it easy, Faye.

Oh, and then the table began to spin and this happened:

The crystal sank into the table and disappeared! (P.S. I love that they were using a graffiti'd half ping-pong table. That was a nice touch.) So yeah, they'd been WITCH-POCKETED!

Meanwhile at Adam's place, Dr. Melissa was on the scene:

He'd apparently stirred up some feelings toward Cassie earlier in the day when they'd kissed, and it reminded me of how dumb Blackwell's elixir was. It erased his love for her in that moment, but weren't they still human beings who would remain exactly the same and just fall in love all over again? So that was happening. Except Adam was still scared of activating the curse, so I guess that's the only thing keeping him from getting back with her. But let's be real, Jake just has to piss Adam off once and he'll be climbin' up in Cassie's bed all over again.

So anyway, Adam found one of his grandfather's coins and suspected the grandfather used to use actual magic when he'd do the coin-behind-the-ear trick. So Adam decided to reverse-engineer a cloaking spell.

Halfway there!

Elsewhere Charles requested the company of Blackwell and it did NOT go well.

Yup, Charles strolled right into that coffee shop and kicked some dark magic behind! When Blackwell stood up to fight back, Charles pointed out that the whole room was watching. The same room of people who'd just seen Charles assault a man and destroy private property? They would NOT approve of reasonable self-defense. So yeah, Blackwell didn't want to upset them and he backed off.

Out in the woods, the remaining four decided they needed to meet up with one of Jake's old witch hunter buddies in order to figure out just which witch was helping Eben. Don't ask me how they knew where exactly to meet up.

And then THIS GUY showed up! Apparently Isaac couldn't make it because he'd been killed by Teen Wolf contractual obligations Eben, so the kid from The Killing and Tower Prep (sigh, Tower Prep) came in his stead. He explained that a witch had helped Eben, but then Eben fired the witch and ordered his death, but Isaac was like "no way," and then Eben killed Isaac for his insolence and then the traitor witch ran off, declaring a death wish upon all witches AND witch hunters! Complicated stuff.

And then Cassie got up in the guy's face demanding to know why he'd killed Jane.

This was a great beat. In no uncertain terms the show was telling us that Diana and Cassie are going to be standing in each others' way in the future. And shockingly enough, it's telling us that Diana's the hero. Again, I was half-expecting Diana to turn into some kind of villain this season, but now I'm getting the sense that Cassie's the one slipping away into the dark side while Diana's the one who'll save her. Love it. So good.

Another thing I love is when my local affiliate writes my captions for me:

Aside from the visual joke of this guy having a Joker smile now, I love the idea that a food business paid to have their ad placed over an image of a guy with bloody gums. Very, very appetizing.

A recurring theme of this episode was that Diana's dark magic has only exhibited itself in the form of judgment and condescension towards her friends.

I love that Diana is the one now regularly triggering Faye's wrath. Cassie can take a break for the time being.

So anyway, the mystical coffee-stained placemat then instructed the kids to go find a crystal at an abandoned amusement park. Excellent!

And across town, Adam somehow managed to 'uncloak' the hidden coin. He did it by, get this, reading the latin written on the coin. Clever, right? By the way, it makes me laugh that Adam's grandfather was so lazy that even when he did a fairly run-of-the-mill sleight of hand trick for a child, he still cut corners by using actual magic. Really dude? Why not just LEARN the coin trick like every other grandpa in the world? Anyway, that was one lazy witch because he also consolidated all of his cloaked items under ONE spell. So basically you say the phrase once and every last thing that's been cloaked would be revealed at the same time.

Including this fancy wall drawer:

Unfortunately the crystal still wasn't in there. Only disappointing girlie mags that drunk Melissa did NOT care for.

Meanwhile at the town's nightmare emporium:

Seriously, we were meant to believe that this carnival was operational during the summertime, but why was the entire facility Halloween themed?

This was cute:

Nobody tell Disneyland about this:

Cool family-friendly mural! Anyway yeah, this was a fun location.

Loved this part:

Because first of all: WHY? Second of all, you are witches who are literally more powerful in numbers. Just why on earth would you split up in this place? Oh, The Secret Circle. As good as you are lately, you still can't help but dabble in laughable horror clichés.

Back in town, Blackwell was trying to get Dawn on his side.

This scene also confirmed that Blackwell had indeed slept with Dawn, and unless I'm misinterpreting him, he grossly admitted to trying to insperminate her and she had been sad about his failure to do so. I don't know, but it was so unsettling. Anyway, Blackwell told Dawn that if she'd help him destroy the witch hunters, he'd go onto murder the elders and they'd all get their powers back. Dawn was obviously interested and agreed to go manipulate Charles into NOT moving away (which he'd decided to do).

Except... Then when Dawn cornered Charles in his immaculately designed kitchen (remind me again why he never knocked up his wife nor married another woman afterward?) she seemed to be immediately sympathetic to Charles.

Dawn made her case that Blackwell needed to be stopped, so it appeared that Charles would be sticking around to make that happen.

So what's cool about this is we have no idea which side Dawn's playing for. She DOES want her power back very badly, but she also seemed really ticked that Faye had been recruited by Blackwell. I think this is just good writing here: Dawn could go either direction and it would be believable. Personally I'm guessing that she's going to be more protective of Faye than anything else, but who knows? I'm definitely getting the sense that Jake may not be the only orphan by season's end.

Back at unamusement park, Jake and Faye ran into their old pal Ian and he was NOT having a good time.

Did you like when Jake still tested Ian's pulse? And how spooky was it when the ride turned on and there were MORE bodies?

WHO was killing these witch hunters? Was it the mysterious hooded figure lurking in the shadows? Or did the witch hunters come to realize their hypocrisy and commit suicide at a brokedown carnival? It wasn't clear.

Oh, but guess where Adam's newly uncloaked crystal was? This map made it VERY clear:

Just FYI, it's at the high school.

Not that they'd attended classes in a while.

Back at the park, Diana decided to finally tell Cassie off about her dark magic. Her point was that Cassie had embraced it a little TOO quickly, particularly when it came to setting dudes on fire. Self-defense or not, Cassie had definitely taken more lives than Diana was comfortable with.

Again, good writing, because Cassie's case was equally compelling. Dark magic is kind of the best? It's saved their life so many times! Diana still wasn't impressed. What a hippie.

The witch traitor! He was off wheezing in the shadows and Cassie focused her gangsta-gaze upon him. And you know what that means:

We knew we were dealing with a powerful witch when he BUSTED through some bars:

Or maybe it's just a janky carnival? Either way.

At the same time, Jake and Faye stumbled upon the traitor witch's nest, a storage closet in the back of the Haunted Mansion™.

And the witch traitor either wasn't of sound mind, or he just had a faulty ballpoint pen he was constantly trying to get flowing again:

And WHAT was he doing with a photo of Jake's family?

We were about to find out:

Deciding that her tiny ponyfeet had pranced across the park long enough, Cassie stopped in her tracks and did the next best thing she knew how:

And sent a spear HURLING at the fleeing witch! But because Diana begged her not to slaughter him senselessly, at the last second Cassie did this:

And because we are not Jake (and we occasionally read CW press releases), we had immediately figured out who it was...

NICK! It was Nick, everybody! Even though I was 100% in favor of his murder in that it cleared the way for Jake's arrival, this is still an undeniably cool turn of events. I'm interested to see how they'll explain his resurrection. And, you know, what exactly he's been up to since Charles drowned a demon out of him. But still, this is just a cool callback to how the season began, so I'm pretty excited about this. It had been foreshadowed that Nick would be back, but I still had no idea that HE was the one lending power to Eben. Didn't see that coming.

So yeah, that was just a good episode of television. We're entering really treacherous times with regard to renewal/cancellation, and I personally cannot understand how the ratings for this show have declined even as its quality has accelerated. I'm honestly guessing it's a delayed reaction: Maybe some viewers subconsciously gave up on the show around midseason but only stopped watching recently? But on the upside, I'm predicting that the delayed reaction effect could hold true for a Season 2 and ratings will go back up after people get caught up over the Summer and realize just how strong Season 1 is ending up. I don't know, I'm not a Nielsen scientist. I just want a Season 2, is what I'm saying.

Most of it works, but Blackwell is too interesting to throw away just yet. He's got schemes in store but he hasn't really done enough evil. They might kill him in Season Two.

Diana's Gram will return (contract willing), but she's too old to be a Big Bad. The show's already dying because they broke Cassie's remaining boyship, and I don't think the average viewer finds her interesting without one running. I might be biased because I don't find her interesting at all. Pitting the circle against a Gramma would be a mistake even CW could avoid.

It's not like TVD where they can be 1,000 year old Eurovamps and still be hot and trashy. The next Big Bad will be CW-approved; young, tall, cheekbone'd, clavicle'd, collar-shirt'd and hair gel'd.

Diana's Gram will possibly be in cahoots with him, but he'll kill her because old people exist on CW to die, and someone's gotta do it. The only possible way She could be the next Big Bad is if she has a spell to take other witches' youth, so it would be her, but as a recast young hottie.

One of the worst episodes ever. Seriously. The grandma's death was rushed. The conversations about "who's really your daddy" were horribly written and premature. Again, rushed. And then the whole clown carnival scenes were deplorable, just squandering away. Characters appearing, disappearing, splitting up, getting back together just to SPLIT UP AGAIN. Who choreographs this?? The direction is falling apart, and its so sad b/c the show has so much potential. So much more than this. The showrunner and writers need to be fired. Like for real.

My biggest pet peeve about the secret circle, is that its a show about witches. How come the witches don't do witchy things? All they do is lock unlock crap, push purses over, make crystals light up by humming at each other. I mean seriously, where's the exploration of their craft? Learning how to do new spells? Voting on which spells to perform as a circle, since they're bound? All they focus on is Cassie's solo dark magic. That's not circle magic, that's just dark magic. Dark magic doesnt mean throwing a spear at someone running away from you. It means tapping into dark power reserves to do evil shit.

Newbie here....been lurking for a while. Price's recaps have me rotflmao! I especially like the "Sorry I humped around a lot" (LOL) and picturing a naked Blackwell *swoon*

1.) I don't know if I'm happy to see Nick again....I was surprised it was this episode. I thought it would've been the season finale because of the ep. title. And it raises the question...who resurrected Nick? Is he really the traitor or just a decoy/puppet?

2.) I think Dawn is on her side although whatever side emerges to the top (John's, Charles or maybe The Circle's) she'll probably side with him/them.

3.) Oh man I don't know....Diana AND Cassie do have good points regarding dark magic. Diana states she'll never use it....BUT should she be in a situation where its the only thing that can save her (i.e. Cassie exploding the coffin out of the ground) she'll have to tap into it. Its probably all about control in regards to dark magic.

4.) Only clown that scares me is Pennywise from IT lol

Last Thurs. Andrew Miller live tweeted during west coast airing of 'Traitor" (appreciated he took the time to answer fans questions on Twitter BTW). And I asked him a couple of questions (a bit spoilery...for next season)

me: Will we ever meet Melissa's father soon or next season?

AM: Next season. He's alive and has remarried. Who Melissa's mother was will also be a big deal...

me: I may be getting ahead of myself but will Cassie ever find out the truth regarding the "curse" ?

AM: Ummm... maybe?

me: Who's going to take care of Cassie next season (*fingers crossed*) since her Grandma died...

Personally, I think it's been a little unclear which parents were apart of Amelia's circle. And that's why the Diana reveal still doesn't jive with me in this episode. Haven't most of us assumed that Charles was a part of that Salem Circle bloodline until the big reveal? His mother was labeled an elder by the show. I had always assumed that if a grandparent was an elder, that indicated that their children were descendants of the old Salem circle, one of the six families. I guess that would make Faye's father part of the Salem circle (since Faye's grandfather was an elder, and he was her father's father). Cassie's mom obviously. Adam's dad most likely. But to be quite honest we don't know enough about most of the parents. It's just really unclear, and I think the writers kept it ambigious because they had to figure it out for themselves and they didn't have a clear idea in the pilot (which is a bit strange since the show is all about the circle being bound and bloodlines...). I just think the writers are being lazy if they don't clarify which parents were apart of the circle descendant from Salem. They've put a lot of focus on the circle being descendant from those six families and it would be nice to have some clarification in the followup episode of such a big reveal. I'm not sure which is worse: The writers not being aware of this possible continuity error, or that they just don't care to address it. Mythology is important as it defines the rules of the world the audience is experiencing. So yeah...hopefully that's addressed. End rant. P.S. I still love the show.

Yeah the family lineages and who is a part of the 6 families is confusing. Andrew Miller did a live tweet during the west coast airing of 'Traitor" and said Diana is bound to the circle through her mom not Charles (someone tweeted 'How can Diana be bound to the circle if she's Blackwell's kid). As to why they didn't address that yet? I have no clue...maybe it'll be in "Family?" Or next season (BTW Miller did give some scoop for next season...I'll have to post it in a new comment)

I just found your reviews. Glad I did, laughed my butt off at your captions.

I agree, ever sense Blackwell entered the picture, well, I guess the back half of the season in general, It's been really good. Now if only the show about witches, would freaking "out witch" the witches on TVD.

1) Nice to see him as a plot point. Nice mix up of drama. However, I think he is a psycho, half-dead still possessed demon boy whose run in with the reaper somehow unbound him to the circle. Didn't they bury him, somebody check the graveyard. I expect him gone by next season, I'd be disappointed if he got better and rejoined the group.

2) Dawn is on Dawn's side.

3) I agree with Diana to a point. Diana however is freaked out by the fact that she has Dark Magic like Cassie. She watched Cassie go through it, and they talked about it. Suddenly she is faced with the same issue. Also if she uses Dark magic it'll be the last real evidence that she really is Blackwell's kid, and she does not want it. I wonder how she'll feel when she finds out that all Cassie's losses were at the hands of her dad. I can see Shelley Hennig pulling off a Dark Diana really well; it would be cool to see if it ever happens.

4) I do not care either way about clowns.

I'll be pissed if the show is not renewed. The pilot and the back 9 have been great. I do miss the connecting elements; lighting the matches to trigger the fires in the house, pouring out water to get the water in the house to overflow. They really need to improve their magic mechanics.

I like the idea of it not being Nick, but some kind of ghost or demon using his body. But then why was he keeping a photo of Nick's parents? I definitely have tons of questions about what it means, so hopefully this week's episode will enlighten us.

I have to say this show pretty much bores me to tears but i hope it gets renewed for my daughters sake, but even for her its hit and miss and its made for her age and clearly not mine...fast forward all the boring garbage and its watchable...just.

Wait wait wait wait wait. Hold up. How is Nick using magic without the circle? And does this mean that Jake is still a part of the circle? Is it a circle of 7 now? Or is Nick no longer part of the circle? I'm so confused. They better have a good explanation for all of this.

But YAY NICK IS BACK! I wonder how Melissa will react! No wonder she never found a new boyfriend. Then again that could have held some interesting potential.

I'm just guessing here, but perhaps Nick can do his own magic now since he did come back from the dead after all this time. What's interesting is how much power he has! I think all 7 of them can be in a circle though, just like Royce had on his conspiracy wall. He had all 7 of them listed together. They've only ever said that a complete Circle is 6, but they never said that it couldn't be more, especially since the binding ritual binds their bloodlines.

After finding out Nick would be returning, all I could think about was Melissa. I really can't see how she takes this.

1. Anyone else love the background music at the wake as much as I did? Nice take/remix on the magic theme song.

2. That crystal-finding sparkle-map was pretty sweet.

3. Random question: Why didn't Jake move back in to his own bedroom instead of Nick's? Or is that just the designated bedroom of teen sexing and shenanigans for Chance Harbor?

4. Drunk Dr Melissa > Dr Melissa

5. So Diana's only power is to be a Cassie-antidote? Useful, yet lame.

6. Why did the forest scene begin and end with a close up of a moss-covered hollow stump? Had me completely fixated that something (demon, spycam, ninjas) would pop out of there and scare the begeezus out of me.

7. Liking Dawn even less than usual this week. If she's the manipulative bitch, fine. But can she at least be an INTERESTING manipulative bitch?

8. GAH! That really is the creepiest place on earth. DO. NOT. WANT.

Price's Questions:

1. Sorta. Had it spoiled on the interwebs. Side rant people who post major plot/character spoilers on streaming sites less than inch from what you are trying to look at should be shot +/or banned from the internet, whichever is worse.

2. She will fake being on whichever side that will allow her to get her way.

3. While her point of murderin' being wrong is *technically* correct. Judgmental, much?

For some reason, that bedroom always looks like it's sweltering hot in there. I think it's the combination of characters in that room always being sweaty for one reason or another... and the way the poor lighting and wood accents bring to mind a sauna or an attic with no air conditioning.

And because of that I always think it must be really rank smelling in there too. XD

1. I always love it when they use the theme song, and I love that it's not just a theme song on the show but it has a connection with the main character. Who wants to bet we'll hear someone hum in in the season finale!?

2. I loved the map and its effect. I remember when Charles and Dawn used it back in the 5th episode, but seeing it be used in success was just awesome.

1) Honestly? I didn't even recognize his face. Sorry Nick, your greatest purpose was dying so that Melissa could be all beautiful and forlorn. Team Melissa!

2) That lady is cray. IDC which side she's on because I havent even picked a side yet. I sorta hope Charles AND Blackwell go down and the ladies can rule CH.

3) I feel like Diana was being an asshole considering Cassies grandmother had just DIED. She's been getting more and more self-absorbed and self-pitying, it's a pain. Bring back high Diana! She knew how to have fun. And what happened to her budding friendship with Melissa?

You're right, dying was the only interesting thing Nick did. And yeah Diana is getting slightly less likeable lately, which is too bad. Unless she goes full evil, which would be awesome. But a weird middle ground might not be too fun to watch.

I'm happy, I wanted Nick back!! Dawn's on Team Faye!! I agree with Diana, if Cassie's powerful enough to run a spear through a man's heart from a distance (and that too a running target) she is most certainly capable of just knocking him out instead. Her way of handling things is just proof of why the witch hunters might want to exterminate witches so bad. Ahhh I hate clowns, cuz of all the freaky scary clown movies :|.

I was so glad badass Faye hates clowns because she's 1000000% right. CLOWNS ARE THE WORST! and that fair, wtf. I'd sooner put a demon worm thing in me than go to that place. Personally I wish there was more to the circle than these 6. in the books (which obviously i didn't read) there's supposed to be like 12 kids

it's funny to think of The Secret Circle as a prequel to Life Unexpected, so Cassie will probably just move to "Portland" to stay with Shiri Appleby and Kristoffer Polaha

I think the writers are pushing a little to tie up a few more loose than they planed so we get some closure in case the show is cancelled but still leave a couple of things in case of a Season 2. This can also pave the way for some TV movies or the first Direct to DVD or downloaded episodes. I Can't get the CW on TV so I buy the episodes on line. Nick was brain scrambled and Eben was the pimp that convinced him the circle abandoned him.

Cassie is killing too much She nearly strangled Adam, she was going to kill that witch hunter this episode. I'm not sure if Diana kept her from Killing the mystery guy or she planned it that way. That is the best way to use a spear Straight on then h it to disable either the head or back., or non lethal hit to the head.. mellisa needs to be careful. It seems she has an addiction problem. First the Devils spirit, now she was drinking a little too much. Jake and Mellisa are really going to be surprised, the others not so much. I wonder if Price deliberately misidentified the pills for a better recap. The hints I saw indicated they wanted uppers not downers

I really hope you're right. I'm definitely hoping for tons of closure/death so that Season 2 can be a whole new set of issues and dynamics. I mean, how much more do we really need to know about the boat fire? Move on, show.

We know the parents' circle was gettin' jiggy with it in the mid-90's and running around and having babies with each other and a creepy dude old enough to own a house and burning things down and what not (I hope most of that was in secret). I'm thinking that the elders who were young, slutty witches in the age of disco were out and proud practitioners, "presumably public".

I hear clip clop in my head when I walk now...it's horribl...y awesome!

1. Yes and No. Yes because I found myself somewhat warmed up to Nick in the last two episodes that he was alive. He was just starting to show potential and then he died. So it's great to see him (even though I seriously didn't recognize him despite knowing already that it was in fact him). There is potential in the storyline. But no because I liked that on this show death actually means something. I like that on this show when people die they stay dead. It's a glorious concept...makes for higher stakes and more suspense and contributes to the overwhelming melancholic vibe that looms over them all. Nick's death was the catalyst for this show being epic and badass. They started out of the gate killing a main character a few episodes into the season. That took cajones. It contributed to the urgency of them delving deeper into the past. It brought about one the (damn you jake for making me like you know) most enigmatic and complex characters on the show in the form of mini Fabio. It kickstarted Melissa into being more than just a sidekick with low self esteem. I like seeing him back and it has potential but I sort of hate the backtrack on a moment that set this show apart.

2. Dawn's on Dawn's side. There is no loyalty with someone like her. She's on whatever side gets her what she wants and needs at the time. So I'm guessing she's equally invested in both sides until she can both get her powers back and get Faye from under Blackwell's influence.

3. Both. Love Diana...she totally traded in her Wheaties for an extra helping of bitchy...but it's understandable. While I found her to be a bit too judgmental I also understood where she was coming from as well. I think I kind of like the fact that Diana is still going to be Diana despite this revelation. She'll still play the role of Moral Compass. I think she was being unnecessairly harsh towards Cassie in some regards but she was on point with what she was saying. She came off as self righteous but given the recent revelation I think she's holding on to the only thing about herself that she knows for sure...her morals, her integrity, her values...and it wasn't so much a slight towards Cassie as it was her way of using her goodness to keep herself together. Cassie easily goes off the deep end. The girl has nothing left to lose which means she'll most definitely go off the deep end. It helps to have someone like Di drag back. Cassie's gotten all kill happy...and as a viewer it's fun to watch her get that creepy look and go all dark magic gansta on a mofo but there is an order to things. Again, love that death actually means something on this show...killing actually means something on this show so I love that there is moral ambiguity and grey areas but still a sense of realisim in it's structure.

4. My boyfriend's roomate's sister moonlights as a clown and makes $10,000....worth of peanuts per act. I will post the link so you can find out how to do it too!

I too was wondering about the state of Cassie's living situation. No amount of shifts at the Central Perk will help her keep up that house. Her mother and grandmother are dead and her father is legally dead. Maybe Jake's mysterious Aunt who is the worst guardian ever will agree to check in on Cassie and that will be that. Maybe her father will come stay with her and no one will ask questions because he can make a witch spell to create an identity of some sort. I'm sure some witchy shizz will take care of the situation.

MADAM!!! Okay I SHOULD be pissed that my new fave dynamic duo spent the entire episode sipping on a forty and trying to do a magic trick. I should be upset that no one else thought to check in on those two all day, there are only witch hunters and shady parents and undead people, and crystals with wonky crystal juice and demons and stuff...no biggie. I mean if it were me I'd be calling my friends every hour and inserting gps chips into the soles of their Converse. I let it slide though. Because they were awesome. Adam showed genuine grief over his loss of feelings. I guess it makes sense though...he doesn't necessairly feel the love for Cassie but he feels the loss of it. And he just looked so bloody adorkable trying to figure out the little magic trick. And I love drunken doctor Melissa's advice...she reminds me of the jailhouse philosopher. Those two are just awesome together. They should always share screen time. There is an ease and grace with those two. I also realized part of why I like Adam so much....he kind of sort of reminds me a bit of Max Evans. I indulged in a mini Roswell marathon and I just get that similar vibe from Adam.

Plus it lead me to enjoy Jake even more with the girls. I'm a reluctant Jake fan now. He tries to be a bit of a leader but he's still lost enough where he doesn't come across as overbearing with it. Although splitting up should never happen. That's in the whole "Staying Alive 101" handbook. There is safety in numbers..especially when your circle is bound and all the powers require you all to be together. I even love how he still has mysterious ways of connecting with his previous witch hunter folks. Eben totally killed Ian when he found out Ian was moonlighting as a werewolf hunter in another state. It's against the supernatural hunting code of conduct to go after more than one supernatural being. It's a straight up turf war.

I have to agree with Adam/Melissa. I'm really glad they haven't been turned into romantic prospects and that they're just friends. They definitely have an ease and sense of humor that's really nice to see. I've always been a Jake fan for face reasons but his character has been getting more interesting lately. He's believably flawed and alternates between fearless and totally scared.

He is. I don't even remember all the reasons why I tried not to like Jake. At the time he seemed overhyped, fear of the unknown, one dimensional. But now he's evolved a bit and I just have been enjoying him. He sort of has all the things I find myself drawn to in characters. I still want to not like him...but I can't.

When I find your main posts, I find myself saying, "Okay, let's see how much she wrOOOOMG!"

It's all good. Not an easy feat to make such rants so easy to read. Brava and kudos. Isaac, not Ian, though.

Though I always thought of Nick as kind of a turd in the circle bowl, I liked his eventual effect on Melissa. Their sudden unnaturally-paced warmth and affection was obviously amped to drop Melissa to rock bottom after Nick's death, but she was in a good place with Nick at the end. Confident, loved, coming out of her shell, and coming out of Faye's shadow.

If CW knew how to function with a character being loved for more than three episodes, they really could've been quite the power couple. Mick? Eh..

Yes. Yes you should. Roswell was fantastic. I've heard that a lot of Buffy fans liked it. I never got into Buffy or Angel (shockingly I was never big into sci-fi or supernatural stuff but I made a few exceptions here and there)....but I loved Roswell. You know how we TVD fans always poke fun of Elena for being dense and purposeless outside of the love triangle?! One of the things I loved about Liz Parker was she was a girl with actual goals that stood out outside of her romantic entanglements. It was a really good show. I highly recommend it.

Buffy was a great show, and pretty well written. That said, I liked none of the main characters besides the evil ones. I'll just assume that says more about the show than it does about me...

Also, the first couple of years aren't as evolved as the later years, so if you can't muscle through the beginning, you could really jump a season or two and try the beginning of Season Three. And Angel was better overall. Not exactly apples and oranges, but maybe apples and pears.

You should watch Buffy. You really should. Even the earlier episodes, while a lot less badass, tend to be great entertainment. If you get the chance or oppertunity, go for it.

This is me returning the Roswell favour, which is now on my catalogue of Shows to Watch during the Summer of 2012 (along with Fringe, Doctor Who, catch up on Breaking Bad and Mad Men, some others...it's gonna be busy!)

Seriously watch Buffy. You won't regret it. Angel isn't AS good, but you might find that the character draws you in. And Joss Whedon is the best at making you love characters.

YES. I remember that, and thinking to make a point, thank you for reminding me about that. It gives me hope for Nicks character. Maybe there was SUPPOSED to be seven...maybe the grandfather had them listed for a specific reason? He must know more than what he got a chance to tell.

I'm happy to see Nick, but from the next episode's promo he's kind og evil. I guess Dawn is on her own side. Poor Diana, she just found out that her father is not her father, and she has a sister. She's confused right now. I don't really like clowns but I don't hate them.

It definitely felt like Diana was taking back the leadership role in this episode, and I was loving it. Since Cassie learned about her dark magic, the writers have been slowly developing her to go into the darker side and when Diana was revealed as the other child we see them slowly begin to develop Cassie as the up and coming villain and Diana the savior to her sister. I'm really loving the change in dynamics right now and how sooner or later everyone is going to have to choose a side.

With Nick back, that's another thing that's going to change up the dynamic. I mean it's unnatural for Nick to be brought back from the dead and obviously Melissa is going to want to make sure he sticks around this time. It's going to be very interesting come this next episode.

Diana was the leader at first...I like how they're going back to that. I mean, I love Cassie and all, but it makes sense that Diana would use her magic as a tool for getting people on her side. People listen to her now. Cassie does. I don't know if it;s just me, but I feel like the circle fear her a little now, even though she says she won't use it, she DOES have dark magic, and they all know how quickly Cassie can use it. It's creating an interesting dynamic. I think they;re all a bit torn now as to who they want to follow, which path they'll take. Both Cassie and Diana are sort of The Leaders, it's a bit pick-and-choose for them now, and I find that interesting.

Exactly! Although I think if it came to it, Jake would rather follow Cassie than Diana, or try to be a leader in his own right. He's always looked to her for decisions, and we both know how much they tend to be in-tune with one anothers logic. Now, Blackwell is another case altogether. He may have hooked any of the kids in. I think Melissa could follow him, unless Diana is an option. I don't know who Adam would follow, given a choice between his two ladies, but he wouldn't choose Blackwell...I'd say he'd lean more towards Diana, he has a similar logic to her, like Jake and Cassie. Can't be sure about Faye. She'd possibly follow Blackwell...now, I'm not sure about Melissa. I think it truly depends on the scenario. She's shown more empathy for Cassie than even Diana, but her and Diana are close. But she has shined to Blackwell a bit, so I don't know where her loyalties would lie. It depends on what she would consider best for her. She's the only who I can't tell where she would go, or who she would follow. I even think, if it came to it, she's create her own side. I think she has that in her, to not be a follower OR a leader, but be her own team.

Jake would follow Cassie. It'd make him feel less guilty going with someone who can get just as homicidal as him!LOL! Melissa is a bit of a wild card and so is Faye. I don't know really. I just like the fact that they all find ways to balance each other out so it doesn't feel like one person is monopolizing all the decision makiing...they voice their opinions and they all have a viewpoint that keeps things level. That's why I hope it won't come down to ever having to choose sides. Because if like minded people side together it's a disaster waiting to happen!

1) not really.. I mean, firstly because that news is spoiled already, we all knew he would be back.. secondly, it so does not make sense.. I can understand him being angry with Charles, with Dawn, with the witch hunters, but with the circle? really? it simply makes no sense.. and probably who returned is not really nick but a-sort-of-brain-washed-under-demonic-influence-very messed-up version of Nick after all he has been through.. and I'm guessing he will be dead -for sure this time- by the finale.. two brothers in a circle may not really work well..

2) I think Dawn is on Blackwell's side because that talk she had with Charles full of regrets and realizations are nothing new.. they could have came to this conlusion way earlier -and Faye stealing an uncharged crystal could not seriously have surprised her, like mother like daughter, right?- so I seriously dont think she even one bit is regretful about bringing Cassie, killing Amelia, the grandpa, Nick and all the rest.. she is a one big, power hungry, Blackwell weak manipulator so I belive she only used that angle in her argument because she knew Charles so well and how to make him stop..

3) I am very very bored with Diana for the last three episodes, and she continues to be more annoying than Faye in every single episode.. how apathic she was to Cassie as if her struggle was worse than what has happened to her.. I mean, geez, she has two fathers now, while cassie barely has one (and no one else).. I do agree that Cassie needs to be slowed down and she is maybe the only one, but still acting in such an "I-know-it-all-better-than-you" way, does not really help..

4) I hate them.. not scared but really, they are creepy, and that amusement park: man I wouldn't take a single child there under the age 16.. what the hell?!

And omg, I had no idea you watched Tower Prep!! I hate Cartoon Network for not continuing with it. Especially when it got so good and left off with such a big cliffhanger at the end. I pray CW doesn't do that with TSC, but by golly we need a Season 2, and I'm hoping/praying we get it!

I don't know what got you to make the HILARIOUS face with Dawn's purse, but I couldn't stop laughing! That is just quality comedy right there brought to you by Price Peterson. Such a great episode!!

- I am happy to see Nick back! Especially in this awesome twist. The promo for this week's new episode definitely shows him pretty much CRAZY! In a way, I'm actually hoping he lives. 7 in a Circle would be nice. But oh gosh, all I keep thinking about is Melissa now. When she finally faces him, she's going to have it rough!

- I think Dawn is on her own side. She's playing everybody! I don't know, but when she was talking to Charles in this episode, she really had me questioning what side she was on, and that's a great thing! Great writing and great acting in one.

- I do agree with Diana that killing is bad. But Cassie has never killed anyone just to kill them. Well, except for the time she almost killed Adam's dad, but some one say that's the dark magic taking over her. Either way, I'm loving the writers setting Cassie and Diana against one another and I'm loving that Cassie may end up the villain.

- Gosh, clowns are CREEPY! I know how Faye feels.

Will be back with more thoughts later. I can't wait for this week's new episode!

Yeah keep in mind it's for children. If you can get past some obvious twists and low-stakes stuff it's really fun. The four main kids are really likeable and I loved the season-ending reveal a lot. Plus a ton of X-Files writers worked on it, so the writing was surprisingly clever at times. Super low budget though.

the question is who brought guy that drowned and thought him how to do better magic and about the crystals. it is possible that ebon has more than one witch working with him and he let know about one witch.

this will more than likely lead to them finding out diana surrogate pappy and plotter dawn had something to do with nicks death, which will lead the circle closer to Blackwell

I am happy to see Nick again, because it has all manner of implications!!! For example, Jake and Melissa's reactions, the implications for the circle, as its bound and now apparently has seven members???? But the best implication of all, is how Charles is gonna react. Charles has killed quite a few people this season, and it would be nice for him to show a little remorse, even guilt about it? I know he showed a little in this episode by not going to Jane's wake, and he said to Dawn that it was their fault that Blackwell is manipulating their kids as they killed Amelia and brought Cassie to Chance Harbour, but somehow that doenst quite cut it for me, we need more Charles!!

BTW, am I the only one who is hella mad that Jane is dead? She was only in the show for 5 minutes before they shipped her off to the mental home, then she was only home a wet weekend and they bloody killed her!! Not amused, especially since this woman got such terrible treatment in Heroes too. grrr

Dawn is on her own side, but she may be leaning more towards Charles's side, especially if she thinks she could lose Faye.

Diana is annoying me!! I thought she could become this cool evil witch especially with all the anger she has over Charles not being her real father, but she's still just being a big lame-ass. It would be fun if she left the circle and Nick came back into it. Although, Nick wasnt looking too great in that episode there. Not sure if it was because he had been hit in the back with a spear, but he looked distinctly zombie-ish... or at least not fully alive.

This was a great episode over all, much better than the vampire diaries ep I thought, but maybe that was because TVD was all sad and stuff this week, whereas TSC was all about the action!! Really hope we get a season 2.

"Or maybe an oblivious grad student aunt could move in and mostly just open doors?" love the TVD reference. Anyway, questions:

1. Nick. Yes, I'm happy. I have a tendency to like characters that nobody else likes (Elena, Bonnie, Nick) but it's mostly because of the change of the plot that he brings. But I liked him before, he seemed to be a complicated character who grew in just a couple of eps. He was underrated.

2. Dawn is always on the east side. Sorry, bad joke. She's on her own side, as well as Faye's, but I think she will follow Blackwell. She used to be in love with him, and that doesn't just go away. Besides, the choices she has done don't scream "good" exactly. She is probably just using Charles.

3. Diana and Cassie both had good points, but I agree with Cassie. That time when they were all going to die and Cassie made a guy burst into flames was nothing more than selfdefence. Although it seems now she can't control it that easily.

I'm not so sure about Nick coming back, the show has finally established a better group dynamic, Nick is just going to mess up Adam and Melissa's friendship; boyfriends never bode well for telly boy-girl friendships. We'll just have to wait and see I'm afraid, but I guess I'm personally hoping that he's going to die again. :\

Dawn: I really don't know!!! I think she'll side with both guys and take the power Blackwell's offering only to double cross him.

Diana seems to have the highest perch to fall off right now, and fall she will, (if we get a season 2 :( , ).

The clowns were super creepy, but I can't believe you forgot to mention Jake and Faye's little trip down the luuurve tunnel in this episode; reminiscing, Jake covering Faye's eyes, it was so adorable: they are definitely the shows best couple, I just hope they keep it at this level and don't go epiccing it up like Adam and Cassie did.

I think the best way to bring up the ratings is for a TVD/TSC crossover like I said in the TVD recaps; don't think there's enough time unfortunately though.

I'm hoping Nick will be around just long enough to be a problem and then maybe Melissa has to personally kill him off again. I don't know. The fact he still has a picture of his parents suggests he's probably a decent guy deep down, but still. I don't know how much I care about him as a character.

So Diana's the official drag of the circle. She's like that pacifist in the guano hut village wagging her Magic Vegan finger around right before the barbarian horde comes through and burns the place to the ground...or the witch hunters cruet the place down, w/e.

The only thing that gives me hope is that TSC holds onto logic and story arcs like a five-year-old with a Disneyland balloon. Hopefully, something shiny or furry will distract them and I'll get my Dark Hot Diana, even if it's at the last few minutes of this season. Make it happen, Grant; you know what you have to do.

I normally avoid the "Previously, on TSC" until *after* I watch the episode, just like I avoid the "Next Week, on TSC" entirely, because they tell too much of what's going to happen, and as I've said, I watch shows for surprise.

CW: "Duuude--"

Me: "No spoilers, CW."

CW: "K. Just sayin', y'know how that one thing happened, like, four episodes ago? Like, that thing I haven't brought up until this week?"

Me: "Yes, I do, CW."

CW: "K. Just sayin'. Hehe.."

That said, I was surprised that there was no Madam recap from last week, because I swear it looks like another Melissa and Adam push this week, despite Cassie putting on the mouth noises. I guess it really was just another placeholder for Melissa and Adam, both until Melissa finds out about Nick, and Adam undoes the effects of his ambivalence potion. Nick just might die again, which could push Melissa into Adam, but that just seems like a lot of work.

So Nick's the traitor witch. I guessed it was a comatose Nick, but a drained, brainwashed, and possibly possessed Nick has to be close enough. I was worried that with Gram dead, it was to clear the way for Amelia.

Two ways it could go with Nick, one awesome, and one no-so-much. Nick could be working against Eben from the inside, and just waiting for the right moment to ruin everything...and be reunited with Melissa forever-and-ever. *Or* (the likely version), his brain was dead just a bit too long, and now he really is drained, brainwashed, and possibly possessed. Being insane might not make any of them happier, but it seems to work wonders for having witch powers.

Also, since Nick did have powers, if he was freed from the circle by almost dying, and trapped Jake into it because he was the next best cheekboned thing, I'd be pissed again if I were Jake.

But if that's how it works, Faye could do something like that Flatliners movie, and kill herself for a couple minutes to bust out of the circle and get her powers back. It's like Musical Chairs, but in reverse. Faye's the only one crazy enough to do that anyway.

The main question is who's going to die (besides Eben)?

- It could be Charles to turn Diana dark. When I considered that Melissa was the second sister, I said that her dad would fight with Blackwell, tell Melissa that he loved her, and then subsequently die. Now that it's Diana, Charles isn't as expendable, even though everything else happened pretty much the same. That fight was the second cool thing Charles has done since the series started. Also, he still has three secret murders to answer for.

- Nick just might die again, which could push Melissa into Adam, so they can have a moment right before Adam dumps her for Cassie, but that just seems like a lot of work. I don't know if it's in the budget.

- I still think Blackwell is waiting to turn evil, but since it hasn't happened already, I think he'll be fine for a while. I mean, he'll still be evil, he just won't die from it yet.

- So, my money's at least still on Grant, to spark Diana's Dark Daddy Magic. He could be wandering around Chance Harbor with a latte and a red rose, get nabbed by Eben's witch hunters, get possessed by a demon tequila worm, and get exploded by Blackwell just as Diana shows up. Something has to happen with Diana's magic, because if they really gave it to her so she could *not* use it, this show would deserve to get cancelled more than it does already.

I like that they're sort of setting up Diana and Cassie against each other. It works. It's entertaining and both of them are in the right and in the wrong so it makes it near impossible to root for one over the other. That's how you keep two characters likeable and antagonistic at the same time. No easy feat.

What I'd actually like is Diana's magic cancelling Cassie's magic out. So far, it's just been with words of newfound wisdom, but having Diana reach out with her forehead to stop the power of Cassie's forehead might be pretty cool.

I mean, if Diana's not gonna blow anyone up, it might be the next best thing, *and* easy on the budget. A CW win-win.

Dang I love your story ideas so much. If I could also add an "unbind-the-circle" clause to that it'd be perfect. If I was in charge (and I will never be in charge of anything), I'd clean the whole slate for Season 2. Kill off most of the parents and unbind the circle and just start over. They can discover some ancient prophecy and become wardens of the supernatural. The backstory of this show has proven to be pretty limited, so when it's done I hope they move on entirely.

I went to their webpage near the beginning. The ideas even they had were decent. Faye was going to do Fire magic (I think), Cassie had...somehow, I forget, Melissa was going to do Earth magic (I think), and Adam was going to do Water magic (remember the dew drops in the forest?)

It almost makes me feel bad for the parents of the baby show. They had all these hopes and dreams for TSC, with spells and actual spells, but it was mostly reduced to firecrackers, sound effects, and invisible string.

It's like the parents hoped TSC would go to Yale or Oxford and have a great career, but it's not only going to community college, it's an Anthropology major, and it looks like it's never getting its own place, and the parents want to make an entertainment room...

Anyway, even if I could 'birth' a great show, I couldn't *afford* a great show. Sad.

I LOL'd at 5. And totally agree about Blackwell. It makes perfect sense that a true villain would pretend to be everyone's friend. He's pretty convincing! I still don't even know what his deal is and I like that.

LOL!!When Jake and Faye go at it borders on raunchy...and I feel perverse for watching it because it's supposed to be a young teen show or something and they go at it hard...like cable hard. But those two are hot together. Fayke ftw.

Faye's reaction to the amusement park was hilarious...I'd totally cling with the guy with legitimate powers that aren't stifled by the circle or harboring evil intentions.

Yes Charles is REALLY upset because John screwed him and didn't call afterwards. That can totally mess a homicidal sensitive soul like him up.

Andrew Miller is the executive producer and writer of TSC and he's the sweetest guy ever and he always has such cute and gracious responses to people on twitter while Julie Plec complains about people being rude to her on twitter when she's actually being rude to fans herself. That's what I meant.

I've met him in person and he's insanely nice. Really humble and VERY funny. And he seems to dig my recaps, which is a really big compliment. For that reason I always feel slightly guilty about saying anything negative, but hey I got a job to do. I definitely agree that he deserves a Season 2 if not a Season 8.

Oh okay... thanks for clarifying :) Always interesting to know some behind-the-scenes stuff, esp of the production people. All I can say is that Miller is doing a bang-up job with TSC... glad to know that he's a nice guy to boot!

Great episode! Of course that amusement prak was had 'cliche' signs all over it. So what? it looked terrific! That's why I love TSC - they have those abandoned churches in the middle of nowhere, creepy woods and all that.

Dark Cassie is better than Cassie-the-group-leader. Because she's not convincing as a leader. At all.

Great recap! Like louis hunter but kinda sick of people being dead and then not dead on this show, especially since the previews suggest Amelia is showing up again. Really?! Maybe Chas is just not a very skilled killer. That 'return' of the dead just seems lame to me. Dawn is on her own side, as always, but I think she is hating on Blackwell who really is coming across as a lying, lecherous and creepy old man. I think both Diana and Cassie had a good argument but maybe Cassie likes hurting people just a little too much. I hate clowns with a passion, they are the creepiest invention of sick minds made only to scare children. Stephen King had it right in IT.They are the worst. Love the line about Chas' immaculate kitchen and the hint...wish they would go there but they won't. It is inexplicable that someone as gorgeous and successful as Chas lives such a romantically empty life. Are all the women in that town blind? I'm still shipping Chas and Jake (Chake) but no one seems to hear me! LOLOL

Well the Amelia part in the preview is definitely a flashback, the actress looked really young. My initial prediction was a present-tense reappearance, so I'm at least half right. But you bring up a really good point that both this show and especially TVD are suffering from: The decreasing power of death. When people die it should be final and devastating in order to keep the life-or-death stakes high. But if there's a loophole for death and the person will just be alive again at some point, it loses a lot of its power.

Yeah I too thought it would be significant but you guys convinced me it was just some random that Blackwell used to conjure demons. Then we got verification that he definitely conjured demons, so that's that. I doubt we'll hear a ton about it again, but I could be wrong.

Even more outstanding than usual, Price! I daresay your TSC reviews are MORE EPIC than your TVD reviews lately but then TSC has more wowzaa moments nowadays :P It's so deliciously deranged now and gaining momentum!

LOL@ "Jake bit Faye in her bathing suit area! Is that even allowed?" IKR??? That looked almost unscripted hahaha like an outtake that was too awesome to edit out! And, "bathing suit area"? :P :P :P

IDK why, I really found this funny: "And the witch traitor either wasn't of sound mind, or he just had a faulty ballpoint pen he was constantly trying to get flowing again."

And *sigh* you mentioned Tower Prep!!! Aww. I miss it SO MUCH! No judgment, guys...

It definitely seemed improvised on Zylka's part but the editor left it in. And as for Tower Prep... Don't you wish they could somehow create a character on this show for Drew Van Acker? C'mon, Andrew Miller!

1). Only if he lives through to the finale! First of all, the female-to-male-ratio on this show has been pretty uneven, and the dudes deserve one of their own, right? Secondly, it could create interesting arcs for both Jake AND Melissa, who despite being great on screen, both have fairly nonexistent arcs right now. And thirdly, he deserves a chance to be redeemed.

2). I think Charles. I like that she acknowledged that since they brought Cassie here literally NOTHING has gone right. Not even just by their standards, by the standards of humankind, their entire plan has been one big FAIL. And it was nice to seee Dawn motivated by something other than crystals, and to go back to Good Parent mode, because I like that Dawn. Even if I can't be sure which direction she's going, this Dawn is ten times better than Dawn-Orbiting-Planet-Crystal.

3). Bit of both. I don't think Cassie intended to kill the traitor, I'm aware of what lying is but when Diana said 'You didn't kill him!' and Cassie replied 'Yeah, but that wasn't an accident', I believed her. Diana is right from her point of view, but I do think she needs to be in a position where everyone she lovesi about to get killed, and then see what she'd do to the one person standing in the them staying alive. One life to save all her friends? I'd like to see what happens when Diana is put in Cassie's shoes. But like I say, Diana doesn't know what it's like yet, she's probably in 'We could talk the perp down, right?' mode. Give it time.

4). Developing a fear of them recently, this episode DID NOT HELP. I'm hoping it subsides soon, because I never had one before. *Shudders*

I have a gut feeling, which aren't ALWAYS right with regards TV show plots, and tend to be more accurate regarding what gender someones baby will be, that Nick will be dead by the end of Prom. Don't aske me why. Pert of me feels that they writers are using him to give some closure to Melissa and Jake, and I really hope I'm wrong, because like I say, time and time again, even though he bored me silly in the first four episodes, I still want to see him redeemed, and to see him be a good guy to Melissa. More of a pipe-dream than anything, he'll most likely be dead by next week (the writers are The Dread Pirate Robert's to Nick's Westly: "Welcome back, Nick, have fun, we'll must likely kill you in the morning"), but still, hopinh for him to make it into Season 2 (if it ever happens).

My heart broke a bit for Cassie. Let's just look at her relationships with the circle:

Diana: may or may not be her sister, Cassie would love for this to be true, Diana would not (fair enough, but still tough for Cassie who has no family apart from the elusive Blackwell).

Jake: awkward.

Faye: tense.

Melissa: pretty nonexistent.

Adam: awkward, sort of like her sibling issue, except more romantic and less familial. She'd like to have him back, he wouldn't, it's pretty sad.

Her family, apart from Blackwell, are pretty much all dead, and she's not too trusting of Blackwell, even if she'd like to be. Poor Cassie. Can we bring Mama Blake back to life now? Cassie deserves someone who actually wants her around. (The people around her have pretty good reasons for treating her like a bad omen, but still.)

Can't wait to see the impact of Evil Nick on Jake and Melissa. I'm sure Jake'll beat him up, and Melissa will either run for the hills (understandable) or try to talk sense into him. It's

going to be emotional for these two, and they both need a big emotional episode. Also, there may be some part of Faye this affects? Weren't her and Nick friends?

I gotta disagree about 'Old TSC'. Even though it did have it's issues, TSC has never really shied away that much from how big reveals impact characters or how death takes it's toll. This episode was the first where we got to see how these things are sort of contributing to Dark Cassie's darkness, it seems every time something bad happens, that dark magic in her responds violently, and it's interesting to see that it's not exactly a concious thing. I do hope Diana doesn't go dark, not if they could have Cassie go dark first, as we have the basis for it, and Diana going bad by the finale would be too much, too soon. But what would be AWESOME would be to have Cassie AND Diana go dark side, as rivals. However, that would have to be a Season 2 arc, right? Okay then. I guess they HAVE to make Season 2 now.

Adam and Melissa were adorable. I'm over shipping them, they're just super cute friends at this point, and I love it.

Okay, I can't think of anything else to say here. Except Price? ORCA RACISM IS WRONG. GO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE, and then RECAP THE AVENGERS PLEASE.

(There is potential. Don't tell me there's not potential, there SO is.)

Specifically the way Cassie's only known family member was sidelined for most of the season is what I meant with TSC being poky with its reveals. Or the fact that Charles/Dawn didn't learn of the witch hunters until 12 episodes later. That's the old show, one that spins its wheels. But now the show hasn't been holding back and I like that. Good point about how heartbreaking Cassie's relationships have become. At one point she was in the center of a love triangle and now she's further from everyone than ever.

Madam!! Okay I really have to stop saying that. I don't ship them as a couple but I ship them as an awesome duo who should always spend screentime together!LOL! Adam is adorable when he's with her and Faye because there is no awkward sexual tension or "I seen you naked and now I don't any more" vibes. With Faye and Melissa he's like the cross between the best guy friend and protective/slightly awkward brother. I LOVE that. I'm drawn to platonic relationsips more than no platonic ones. Sue me. Okay don't...Okay do...I'm poor and stuff so you ain't getting nothing anyways! He's like a much cooler and much hotter version of Ducky. Pretty in Pink ref btw. They make me smile when they're together! I haven't smiled since that time I was trying to grift my way out of the Harmony Hut.

By your throrough explaination Cassie is the cross between Elena and Damon. Which means I have a fifty fifty shot of loving her to death and being defensive of her or being annoyed by her very presence. Ironically enough she actually does fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. Ha! That works!

Cassie's already veering off to the dark side...she has nothing to lose in a sense...other than grasping at the last ties keeping her from diving into Chance's Harbor which is the circle and her father. She's prime for going evil. I'm game for watching it. I'm also game for Diana getting in her way or keeping her back or balancing her out or whatever. That works for me. Both compelling.

It would be nice to see Diana be the one to bring her back. It would be GREAT for Cassie's character, as it would be sort of a 'This is a family memeber who cares'. But Diana will need a bit of a kick in the right direction for that, the poor girl doesn't want the whole thing to be true, does she?

I LOVE Adam. I really do love Thomas Dekker and I'm SO glad he's finally getting to play the charcter this way. The way you described him was brilliantly accurate. I don't ship the me either. I did a bit, ast week, but now I just appreciate them as friends. They're an adorable little platonic relationship...and I'm right there with you, platonic relationships are FAR more interesting than romantic relationships. The main reason for this is that a lot of romantic relationships these days operate on a love-at-first-sight basis. There's a huge problem with this, because it often leads to a very hasty pairing, and it's not romantic. The thing I love in a good romance is a good history. And the best romance on this show was Diana and Adam. Because they had that and acted well of one another. All the others were rather hasty and out-of-the-blue. Even implied history is better than straight-to-it romance. So yes, platonic relationships FOR THE WIN, because we see a lot more development there, a lot more often.

I think Di is currently in denial. She'll adjust like she seems to always do eventually. Lord knows they can't afford to have existential crisis' in dark carnivals with evil undead possessed witchs on their heels again...because as awesome as that scene was I kept yelling at them to suck it up and wait until the imminent danger wasn't so...imminent.LOL!

Preach my sister from another mister! Have I told you this week that I heart you?! Cuz I do. I sooo agree with all of that. completely. That's exactly my sentiments on the issue.

Great recap. But weak episode for me. Too many cliches, too much revisting and not enough development.

I did enjoy it, but still we have no progress with important things. We get sudden final answers to some things with no build up (for example, with Nick, having no clues prior to that in the story, I thought his return was a bit dull).

Diana's dialouge didn't make much sense to me. Lectoring Cassie that killing's bad....... Is this because of all the killing Cassie's done............???? From the word go, Cassie's been the one saying 'I'm scared of my dark magic'. A few angry moments, and suddenly the writer's are describing Cassie as if she is Jake.

The scooby-doo runaround was beneath this show. Faye, having said she's scared of clowns, knowing the dangers (witchhunters, rouge witches), then enters the darkest, scariest room in the place.

This show could be less teen. Thomas Dekker has much more potential than this show is giving him. Britt Robertson is good at the dark stuff, but they need to stop qualifying everything she does with 'is this a bad thing to do? Sorry!'. It's is a pretty good time to be bad!

Blackwell is kind of just getting annoying now. The setup with him evidently conning the kids, all of them completely unaware, with us knowing differently, is again leaning far too much towards scooby-doo.

It's time Cassie got practising this dark magic, it's time Diana saw the light, it's time Adam was given some strength in this show cause Thomas could pull it off, and it's really time the kids grew up cause people are genuinely getting killed. The killing vs teen drama doesn't work in my opinion.

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